Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Shortly after 10 p.m. Monday, the drummers and other musicians on the rotunda's ground floor wrapped up for the night. A man grabbed the microphone and, without instrumental accompaniment, started singing "The Star-Spangled Banner."

Most of the protesters packed tightly around the first- and second-floor balconies, joining in the anthem. Police officers and firefighters — about 40 from various departments who spent the night on Monday — sang along, hands on heart. Elliott Tomaro, a union ironworker from Oregon, sang, too, holding his hard hat over his chest as he stood with other protesters.

"It's a moving experience to have so many people singing the national anthem inside the seat of the government," he said.